Campus harvest proves fruitful

A series of harvest events held on the Loughborough University campus in October was a roaring success, with around 300 staff, students and local residents getting involved.

Part of the award-winning Fruit Routes initiative, the harvest events included the Campus Apple Bake Off competition. Enthusiastic local bakers, including the University Vice Chancellor, produced an array of mouth-watering pies, pastries and puds, with students Gregory Downes and Marshall McFadyen, both from Robert Bakewell Hall, announced as the competition winners. After the prizes were presented, the competitors, judges and hungry by-standers tucked into the apple bakes, with not so much as a crumb left within 30 minutes!

The three-day collaborative harvest celebration also offered people the chance to have a go at pressing apples to make juice and cider, supported by Transition Loughborough. Pumpkin carving and lantern making workshops were run by Charnwood Arts and there were apple games with local artist Paul Conneally.

The Fruit Routes project, founded by artist Anne-Marie Culhane and managed by the University’s Sustainability and Grounds Team, aims to develop the University grounds as an edible and sustainable landscape. It’s supported by the University Landscape Master Plan and Loughborough Students’ Landscaping and Gardening Society (LAGS) and was officially launched in October 2011.

Providing an enriched habitat for people, plants, insects and animals, the Fruit Routes scheme aims to leave a lasting legacy on the campus, boosting foraging opportunities for years to come. It is about planting, harvesting and sharing food for free and is aimed at the whole of Loughborough – University students, staff, campus-based partners and local residents.

View the photos from the event.

 

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